Share This:

Lenovo ThinkPad Roadmap 2018 (With Kaby Lake-R) Has Been Leaked, Here Is What You Can Expect To See This Year

Share

After announcing a slew of new ThinkPads at CES 2018, including an update to its X1 Carbon 6 line that will include an optional HDR display, an internal leak has recently surfaced filling us in on more details. Originally leaked on the ThinkPad subreddit, the Lenovo ThinkPad Roadmap 2018 whilst not providing all the details; hints at the direction Lenovo may take for the rest of this year.

Update:Images of the Lenovo ThinkPad Roadmap 2018 have been removed, as requested by Lenovo. Now That a fair amount of time has passes I am uploading the initial pictures again.

Originally created by IBM in the 90s and acquired by Lenovo in 2005, the ThinkPad line of notebooks are popular with businesses and are known for their durability, simple design and wide availability of parts.

Lenovo ThinkPad Roadmap 2018

According to the Lenovo ThinkPad Roadmap 2018 leaked file, Lenovo will be offering more choices in its hybrid laptop/tablet ‘Yoga’ line with the L380 Yoga being positioned as the mainstream convertible ThinkPad. The roadmap also makes mention of USB type C ports (with some supporting Thunderbolt) being offered across Lenovo’s entire 2018 lineup.

The leak also provided details of Lenovo’s new basic docking system, detailing an upgrade from CS13 to CS18. The upgrade will place the docking connector to the side and will allow for a max resolution of 4K, up from CS13’s 1080p resolution and will also feature a stereo/mic combo. The document also mentions that the new ThinkPad A285 and ThinkPad A485 will be compatible with the new docking system.

New Products And Rebranding Of Existing Products

8th generation Intel Kaby Lake-R powered laptops will be coming out starting the end of this month. In 2018 Lenovo will introduce new Cleansheet design products namely; X280, T480s, L480, L580, L380, E480, E580, and V330. There will also be a new mainstream L380 Yoga in 2018 and other products will get refreshed motherboards and updated features.

TP 13 will be rebranded to L380 and Yoga 370 will be rebranded to X380 Yoga. USB Type-C charging will be introduced across the board for all new products. New mechanical docks, CS 18 will replace CS 13 docks. A third Yoga form factor will also be added into the portfolio which is something that we cannot show you, as per Lenovo’s request but if you visited our site earlier you might have seen it.

The L380 Yoga will be positioned as the mainstream Yoga notebook moving into 2018. Edu YogaPad 11e will also be available for purchase. More laptops will feature touch and convertibility moving into 2018.

New Testing Methods For Quality Assurance

New testing methods are being adopted in order to ensure quality and these testing features are as follows:

Low Pressure (2 procedures)

High Temperature (2 procedures)

Low Temperature (2 procedures)

Temperature Shock (2 procedures)

Solar Radiation (2 procedures)

Humidity (1 procedures)

Fungus (1 procedures)

Sand and Dust (2 procedures)

Explosive Atmosphere (1 procedures)

Vibration (2 procedures)

Shock (3 procedures)

Vibrations of Shipboard (1 procedures)

Upcoming Premium, Mainstream And Entry-level Laptops

There are plenty of Lenovo laptops coming out in 2018 and here we are going to look at the different categories. There are three main categories in which all these laptops fit into; Premium, Mainstream and Entry-level. These laptops can also be categorized by the display size and different sizes that we are considering are 17, 15, 14, 12 and 11 inches.

We have listed the laptops in each category down below so check them out.

Premium Laptops Coming In 2018

The premium Lenovo laptops coming out in 2018 are as follows:

T580 (15-inches)

T480s (14-inches)

X1 Carbon (14-inches)

T480/A475 (14-inches)

X280/A275 (12-inches)

X1 Yoga (Yoga)

X380 Yoga (Yoga)

Mainstream Laptops Coming In 2018

V320 17 (17-inches)

L580 (15-inches)

E580 (15-inches)

E575 (15-inches)

V330 15 (15-inches)

L480 (14-inches)

E480 (14-inches)

V330 14 (14-inches)

L380 (12-inches)

L380 Yoga (Yoga)

11e (yoga/ Windows/ Chrome)

500e (yoga/ Windows/ Chrome)

Entry-level Lenovo Laptops Coming In 2018

V110 15 (15-inches)

N42 (14-inches/ Chrome)

300e (Yoga/ Windows/ Chrome)

100e (Windows/ Chrome)

The Transition Cost From Kaby Lake To Kaby Lake-R

Lenovo will be transitioning from Kaby Lake to Kaby Lake-R and if you were wondering what kind of increase in price you can expect then it has been included in the Lenovo ThinkPad Roadmap 2018. According to the slides, there will be no change in price for the entry-level chips but there will be a $5 increase in cost when moving from the i5-7300 v Pro to the i5-8350u vPro.

There will also be a $10 increase in cost when switching from the i7-7500u to the i7-8550u and from the i7-7600u vPro to the i7-8650u vPro. Keep in mind that this is an increase in cost and not in price. The increase in price could be very different but at least you know how much it costs the company to switch from Kaby Lake to Kaby Lake-R.

Something not mentioned earlier at CES 2018, the Lenovo ThinkPad Roadmap 2018 names a new ThinkPad notebook, the ‘ThinkPad T580p’. However, besides the fact that it will possess a 15-inch screen, very few others details were stated. The roadmap also confirmed that last year’s ThinkPad T470p will not be receiving an update and the series is effectively discontinued.

Lenovo will also be beefing up security on its ThinkPad lineup introducing ‘ThinkShutter’, addressing long-standing customer concerns with camera privacy and security. You can also check out other laptops that caught our attention at CES 2018.

What do you of the leaked Lenovo ThinkPad Roadmap 2018? Will the improvements made by Lenovo be enough for it to get ahead of its competitors? Let us know in the comments.